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AFLW 2024 - Round 3 - Chat, game threads, injury lists, team lineups and more.
Player Watch #21: Noah Balta
- Thread starter Grockadoc
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Alright, once and for bloody all, never again entertain thoughts of this bloke as a key forward. He is an AA-quality key defender, and that's where he must stay permanently, no matter how dire our forward structure is.
Absolutely slaughtered King yesterday, barring that little error for the first goal where King got over the back because Noah had pushed up too high a line too early. From then on, King had a nightmare of a day on Noah - 2 kicks, 0.0. and only 1 mark, and that was well up the ground.
I can stomach the odd very short pinch hit in the ruck when Nank is resting forward or bench, but otherwise make him play the entire game facing our goals. He simply cannot play with his back to our goals ever again.
Yes he has the odd little brain fade which costs us a goal - there was definitely one yesterday with that bad chip across goal to a contest. But he costs us multiple goals when he's in our forward 50 with mistimed leads, poor vision, lack of self belief and a turning circle of a road train. Meanwhile it's raining goals down the other end.
The experiment is over. Again.
Absolutely slaughtered King yesterday, barring that little error for the first goal where King got over the back because Noah had pushed up too high a line too early. From then on, King had a nightmare of a day on Noah - 2 kicks, 0.0. and only 1 mark, and that was well up the ground.
I can stomach the odd very short pinch hit in the ruck when Nank is resting forward or bench, but otherwise make him play the entire game facing our goals. He simply cannot play with his back to our goals ever again.
Yes he has the odd little brain fade which costs us a goal - there was definitely one yesterday with that bad chip across goal to a contest. But he costs us multiple goals when he's in our forward 50 with mistimed leads, poor vision, lack of self belief and a turning circle of a road train. Meanwhile it's raining goals down the other end.
The experiment is over. Again.
Agree with the above but .........................
His skill set is so special. He's as good a contested mark one-on-one as any in the game. He can run probably faster (admittedly straight line only) than anyone else in the team. He can kick longer than anyone else.
Sure - if Lynch comes back next year, he takes the key forward spot, and we don't want to play 2 giants up there.
I still would love to see Balta have an extended run in the ruck - say 8-10 games. I reckon he would be a great around-the-ground weapon.
But - last resort - he's a bloody good key back.
His skill set is so special. He's as good a contested mark one-on-one as any in the game. He can run probably faster (admittedly straight line only) than anyone else in the team. He can kick longer than anyone else.
Sure - if Lynch comes back next year, he takes the key forward spot, and we don't want to play 2 giants up there.
I still would love to see Balta have an extended run in the ruck - say 8-10 games. I reckon he would be a great around-the-ground weapon.
But - last resort - he's a bloody good key back.
- Feb 14, 2014
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- 14,250
- AFL Club
- Richmond
Think we need to experiment with him off the half back flank
Mr E Tiger
Premium Gold
- May 21, 2024
- 51
- 174
- AFL Club
- Richmond
If we can all see and have been saying all season, play Noah down back, why the **** can’t our esteemed coaching staff see that too???? The way he dismantled King was excellent (we won’t mention the early up rush of blood). I’d rather he was stopping goals than scoring them and give the young kids down back something to build around now that Grimes has gone. I hope Vlaussy isn’t going anywhere anytime soon as he and Balta are the scaffolding for our defensive set up, especially if D Rioli heads up north
